Of all the fitness tracking wearables out there, Basis' Peak might be one of the most comprehensive. It measures your activity, heart rate, perspiration, and sleep without looking like a giant brick on your wrist. It then takes the data it collects and analyzes it to help you live a healthier life. Today, Basis is adding one of its most requested features to the Peak app, integration with Apple Health and Google Fit.
Users of the Basis Peak will now be able to share heart rate, sleep duration, activities such as running or biking, step counts, and calories burned to Apple Health and Google Fit. Basis' app will be able to access weight data imported to the services by the user or from various Wi-Fi connected scales. Other apps that integrate with Health and Fit, such as MyFitnessPal, will be able to access data captured by the Basis Peak for the first time. The app update, available today, also adds a new beta testing area where users can opt in to check out new features and provide feedback. The first test features are a selfie-based mood analyzer and a location feature that adds images of maps to the activity feed.
Basis Peak Titanium Edition
The Intel-owned company is also releasing a special edition of the Peak that's made out of titanium and comes with a leather band from the Horween tannery in addition to the standard rubber strap. Basis says it chose titanium for its strong, yet lightweight properties, which are important when building a device that tracks your motion. The Titanium Edition Peak will be available in limited quantities from Basis' website and is available for $299.99, a premium of $100 over the standard Peak. There are also new leather accessory straps in a variety of colors for $49.99 that work with the standard black or silver versions of the Peak.
In addition to the new integration with third-party services and special edition Peak, Basis will release a firmware update to the watch this week which adds a stopwatch function plus improved heart rate algorithms and better Bluetooth connectivity with the phone.
By allowing users to export their fitness data to Apple Health and Google Fit (and in turn, other third-party services compatible with those platforms), Basis is turning its closed system into a more open platform. Basis says it still does the best analysis of your activity and sleep, and its app will still incorporate a gamification system to encourage a healthier lifestyle. But by supporting the two major health data aggregation platforms and introducing a more high-end version of its hardware, Basis is positioning itself to appeal to more than just the hardcore fitness enthusiasts.